The council has backed plans to move Henry Cort Community College - despite residents’ preference to keep the school at its current site.

The move was one of three options considered for the school’s future, which is expected to see a fall in pupil numbers once another new secondary school in Whiteley opens.

Just 22 per cent of the 1,142 responses supported relocating Henry Cort to the new site - and council chiefs have now said that it is the most viable to protect its future.

READ MORE: Henry Cort Community College could close or move

72 per cent of people who responded voted to build the new school and keep Henry Cort, but with a reduced catchment area, although councillors said this would lead to an "untenable future" due to financial challenges.

Cllr Joanne Barton said many parents in her division have approached her with concern over the uncertainty around the relocation.

She said: “Henry Cort serves the most deprived area in the borough, and its closure will disproportionately affect those who are most disadvantaged, and the children most in need of a good school are those that can have the least opportunity to attend one.

“This initial consultation has led to an awful lot more questions that parents really need the answer to, sooner rather than later.”

READ MORE: New images show new 900-place Whiteley secondary school

The new secondary school is planned to meet the forecast demand for school places throughout the Whiteley area once the development, with 3,500 new homes already built and a further 2,000 in the pipeline in the North Whiteley area, is complete.

It would be built with a capacity for 900 places and a scope to expand to up to 1,200 in future if needed.

Cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Roz Chadd, approved plans to formally consult on plans to move Henry Cort to the new site, and close the old site.

She said while she recognised the decision didn’t reflect the feedback received in the informal consultation, she was “fully satisfied” with the decision, saying to keep both open would lead to their "decline".

“The county council’s preferred option seeks to ensure that this isn’t the case," Cllr Chadd said.

“This isn’t a final decision; it’s about going out for consultation.”